Posts Tagged ‘Kim McMillon’

06:49 le 10 mai 2024 France

13:36 May 21, 2024 California USA

08:24 May 23, 2024; published 17:08 May 23, 2024

Bonjour Everyone,

I wish you peace and joy.

So much sadness on this planet … a smile brings light to my heart … perhaps if we all smile with our hearts, this planet would smile back.

These books written In English (by the way … Maria Kawah Leung’s illustrated children’s book is in English and Chinese) and these French films inspired courage while I was in France and departing France.

AUTHORS

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Christopher K. Eng -  FINDING ALOHA IN GRIEF: Memoir of an American Pastor, Chaplain, and T’ai-Chi Sifu

https://www.amazon.com/FINDING-ALOHA-GRIEF-American-Chaplain/dp/B0CMMXK36Y

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Edward C. Hartshorn - Ghosts of the Big Sandy River

https://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-Sandy-River-Edward-Hartshorn/dp/1953198007/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2WFQH3L0C519G&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.P4yaS8mqImgUnEM3bhFDc4KmFh_24mc3b99kwPk2kg_GjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.WAcgNxL8okHAq-KjZUFPf_6iIhzLxmDNY6a7bXj1lb4&dib_tag=se&keywords=Edward+C.+Hartshorn&qid=1716330340&s=books&sprefix=edward+c.+hartshorn%2Cstripbooks%2C136&sr=1-1

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Geneva Dinwiddie -  Sister Hold My Hand: Together We Stand

https://www.amazon.com/Sister-Hold-My-Hand-Together/dp/0990491536/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2FW8AFNI2ZS0R&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.9SswpnbgX1AYqHSKWpwYCw.mwlYaHwtXfoheCmuo3F891X-fZyOd952kLfYNE0KF0M&dib_tag=se&keywords=Geneva+Dinwiddie&qid=1716330446&s=books&sprefix=geneva+dinwiddie+%2Cstripbooks%2C151&sr=1-1

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Maria Kawah Leung – Little Heroes of Bay Street: And How They Stay Strong in an Unhappy Home (English and Chinese Edition – Simplified Characters)

https://mariakawah.com/

LITTLE HEROES OF BAY STREET available in 3 formats – hardcover; paperback; e-book

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Heroes-Bay-Street-Simplified-ebook/dp/B08L6224B1/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.zDIlOfdDzUkroUm4hqmM3g.sTq-RTuzsN25umBsRZM2-K4PlR7PocBmfDj_pJpGaK0&dib_tag=se&qid=1716329589&refinements=p_27%3AMaria+Kawah+Leung&s=digital-text&sr=1-1&text=Maria+Kawah+Leung

Interview with Dr. Kim McMillon https://youtu.be/p-YMEPfwp2Q

Maria Kawah Leung’s singing  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB0s2phx3Xg

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Scott James’s latest book -  Trial by Fire: A Devastating Tragedy, 100 Lives Lost, and a 15-year Search for Truth

https://www.scottjameswriter.com/

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 French movies

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Clémentine Chérie (1964) Pierre Doris, Adrienne Servantie, France Anglade | French Comedy; directed by Pierre Chevalier

– a story about how female youth and perceived physical beauty is a convenience in this particular society, and, the invention of a stretchy fabric for bathing suits which turns out to be invisible on photographs and live television. I wonder how many bathing suits will be in the garbage when women realize that while the fabric “shapes and contains” their body, photographs of their body fat and skin compressed and redistributed might be perceived as the opposite of beauty.  A fun and clever script.

Merci beaucoup, Youtube.com channel CultCinemaClassics, pour https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=x8z18_yP_yw

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056938/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_1

Writing Credits

Adaptation et dialogues de

Michel Fermaud

Jean-José Richer

Jean Bellus

Pierre Chevalier

The first scene is inside the ornate department store Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann. Even though the movie is a black-and-white film, one can see the grandeur of this place.

https://haussmann.galerieslafayette.com/en/culture-and-heritage/ states:

 Here’s my photo (of a section of the stained glass dome of Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann) taken on August 30, 2017

image taken by photo historian Teresa Jade LeYung August 30, 2017 - Margie and Anna are in original image; Sasa led Part II of our Paris pilgrimage

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LAST DANCE – widower Germain (François Berléand) finds a way to fulfill an agreement with his beloved wife.

Merci beaucoup, Youtube.com channel ScreenInternational, pour

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 Nouveau Départ (2023) / New Beginnings (2023)

A husband takes action in an attempt to reignite his wife’s passion for him.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22397870/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_wr_sm

Directed by

Writing Credits

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SECOND TOUR

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Île-de-France

My pal Sabine and I wondered what”Île-de-France” includes.  https://www.britannica.com/place/Ile-de-France-region-France explains …

Île-de-France, région of France encompassing the north-central départements of Val-d’Oise, Seine-et-Marne, Seine-Saint-Denis, Ville-de-Paris, Hauts-de-Seine, Val-de-Marne, Essonne, and Yvelines. Île-de-France is bounded by the régions of Hauts-de-France to the north, Grand Est to the east, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté to the southeast, Centre to the south, and Normandy to the northwest. The capital is Paris. Area 4,637 square miles (12,011 square km). Pop. (1999) 10,952,011; (2014 est.) 12,027,565.

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Thank you for reading my blog post “Books Written In English and French Films that Inspired Courage while I was In France and Departing France”.

I wish you peace in every way.

Sincerely,

Teresa Jade LeYung

Love Made Of Heart ®

Blog post #616

2022 October 1, California;  October 3, 22:22

I, Teresa Jade LeYung (formerly Teresa LeYung Ryan), celebrate the 20th anniversary of my mother-daughter novel LOVE MADE OF HEART.

This is just the first of a series of Thank You as I continue celebrating LOVE MADE OF HEART and the kindhearted souls (teachers, librarians, booksellers, media folks, community leaders, friends and colleagues, mentors, readers and more readers) who have helped me speak up about:

– honoring courageous immigrants 

– inspiring adult children of mentally ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas

– helping survivors of family violence find their own voices

– speaking from the heart

What does “love made of heart” mean?

In the Chinese written language … the word “heart” is inside the words “grace,” “forgiveness,” “perseverance,” “compassion.”

The word “heart” is inside the word “love”…   one of the themes in my mother-daughter novel.

I shall dedicate the entire month of October to thank everyone who has helped me delivered my first novel into the world and all the readers. Many people have helped me but have never broadcast their kindness; I don’t know who they are; I thank everyone from my heart.

then Teresa LeYung Ryan, co-presenter with Elisa Sasa Southard and Kathi Kamen Goldmark at San Francisco Writers Conference - photo by Cheri Eplin 2004

Love Made of Heart: a Daughter, a Mother, a Journey Through Mental Illness
http://www.lovemadeofheart.com/Love-Made-of-Heart-a-Daughter,-a-Mother,-a-Journey-Through-Mental-Illness.html

I begin my thanks to:

My mother and all family members, and, the characters (Ruby Lin, Vivien Lin, Mrs. Nussbaum, Dr. Thatcher) who inspired my story.

The teachers who taught the 10-week course “Writing Children’s Literature” where I met critique group members Evelyn Miche, Cat (before she moved to Maine), Theresa Stephenson, Olga Malyj (who joined us for a few months).

To Kim McMillon who believed in me … way back when, long before I started writing. Dr. Kim McMillon, poet, activist, with over twenty years of experience producing theatre, is now an author and Black Arts Movement historian.

Everyone who orchestrated the 1997 Jack London Writers’ Conference, members at the California Writers Club and the Women’s National Book Association.

Everyone at East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) where I had a full-time job at headquarters; to my boss at the time – Robert Doyle – who said “yes” to my request for a 6-week leave-of-absence to complete one last rewrite of my manuscript.

Susan Canale (at EBRPD), Luisa Adams (author), Martha Alderson (author) for reading my last rewrite and giving criticism and praise.

Everyone at Regional Parks Botanic Garden when I got a transfer to a part-time position, especially my boss Steve Edward, Ph.D.

To my then spouse Lyle Ryan for supporting my decision to take a part-time position.

To literary super agent Stacey Glick (now VP at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC) who said that my manuscript LOVE MADE OF HEART was the gem she had rescued from the slush pile.

To acquisition editor/director John Scognamiglio, president Steven Zacharius, publisher Laurie Perkin, art director Louis Malcangi, and everyone at Kensington Publishing Corp. in New York

To artist Linda Christensen for giving me a lovely author-photo.

To my sister (author Maria Kawah Leung) and all my friends who gave me courage to NOT hide behind the book.

To everyone who has “pitched” me to folks at their favorite libraries, book stores, groups, clubs, organizations, radio, TV, online programs … so that I could deliver the messages the themes in my book Love Made of Heart.

Thank you, Maria, for making Love Made of Heart birdhouse wind-chime.

Thank you, Claire Lomax, for handcrafting bookmarks that had my book cover and book spine on them.

Thank you, artist Chandra Garsson, for painting your rendition of the book cover onto my bookcase – one of my most cherished treasures. (attention-grabbing book cover that Louis Malcangi at Kensington Publishing Corp in New York had created)

Thank you, dear California Writers Club fellow-member, for gifting me your gorgeous Chinese robe which I have worn to many book events.

Thank you to all California Writers’ Club members!

Thank you to all Women’s National Book Association members!

Thank you, Elisa Sasa Southard, for teaching me how to create talking-points and talking-taglines, attention-grabbing press releases, memorable bios, and, how to have fun in the crazy world of book promoting!

More thanks to Elisa Sasa Southard, Margie Yee Webb, Luisa Adams, Martha Alderson, Angie Choi, Linda Joy Myers, Mary E. Knippel, Lynn Scott, and all the other talented and kindhearted authors who have co-presented with me since 2000.

Thank you, everyone, for reading and also buying Love Made of Heart for your friends, and, inviting your friends to my events, and for going to my events more than once.

Thank you, everyone, for writing reviews.

Thank you to the teachers / educators, including Professors Victor Turks, Miriam Queen, Patricia Costello, Dan Haytin, Sheryl Fairchild and their delightful students.

Thank you to each reader!

Publisher’s description of LOVE MADE OF HEART

The Chinese word for ‘love’ is made up of many brush strokes. In the center of the word ‘love’ is the word ‘heart.’ Love is made of heart…” Twenty-seven-year-old Ruby Lin has what many women envy: a beautiful apartment in one of San Francisco’s best neighborhoods, a busy social life, and a coveted position as manager of special events for the tony St. Mark Hotel. But it’s Ruby’s personal life that’s become unmanageable ever since the day her mother’s emotional breakdown forced Ruby to hospitalize her, shaming the family. Now, Ruby is caught in the crossroads between two vastly different cultures–one in which she is the American girl, raised on kitschy television shows and black-and-white movies, and one in which she is known only as Daughter, the eldest, fulfiller of responsibilities. In putting together the pieces of her mother’s life, Ruby finds herself exploring the wounds of her own past. Starting with a forbidden locked tin box and the yellowing photograph inside, Ruby embarks on a startling journey of self-discovery that takes her through a family history rife with violence, betrayal and loss that reaches back through generations, from China to America, and finally to the secret pain of a mother’s sacrifice. Like the Chinese calligraphy that adorns her walls, Ruby comes to see that “life is not a straight road, ” but a language drawn with many brush strokes, where every misunderstanding must yield to the simple message of the heart. Filled with warmth and wisdom, this luminous debut novel heralds the arrival of an exciting new voice in fiction as it explores the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, the choices that divide us, and the love that brings us home.

The above is book jacket text written by author Libba Bray for Kensington Publishing Corp. New York for my novel LOVE MADE OF HEART

In my blog posts of October 1, 2013 and November 29, 2013, I said:

“Thank you to authors Frank Baldwin, Carol Schaefer, Lydia Kwa, and Gus Lee for writing lovely advance praise for my book cover. I am so grateful!”

“Special thanks to Martha Alderson, Luisa Adams, Susan Canale, Elisa Sasa Southard, Margie Yee Webb, Kim McMillon, Vicki Weiland !”

“I thank powerhouse Stacey Glick (VP at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management) who found insightful acquisition editor John Scognamiglio (at Kensington Publishing Corp. New York) who guided my mother-daughter novel Love Made of Heart to the Sales Team, good-energy publisher Laurie Perkin, president Steven Zacharius, Debbie Tobias was Sales Director, Lou Malcangi was art director, by the way . . . booksellers do judge a book by its cover, Libba Bray, who is now a New York Times bestselling author of young adult books, for book jacket copy, Jacquie Edwards for copy editing, marketing team, production team, Jessica in Sales, Michelle who was Webmaster,and EVERYONE at Kensington and their associates, especially Nancy Suib & Anne Shulenberger, and Kensington Publishing Corp.’s superstars Lydia Kwa, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, Mary B. Morrison, Mary Monroe, Carl Weber . . .

If not for these people, I would not have had the opportunity to experience the publishing industry from the author’s perspective . . .  which then gave me the credentials to talk about “who” really is the most qualified person to build the author’s platform and fanbase.

Author’s Note to Reader on the last page of LOVE MADE OF HEART

Thank you for letting me share Ruby Lin’s story with you.  Many readers have asked me what the characters in the novel have done for me.  My answer is this: I’ve learned that behind every face is a compelling story.

Please remember me as a writer who says YES! to compassion for mental illness and NO! to domestic violence and child abuse.

Who is Mrs. Nussbaum?  She lives in all our hearts.  Just as we have the “child within,” we also have the “wise elder within.”  May you always embrace your compelling story and allow your Mrs. Nussbaum to embrace you.

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan (now Teresa Jade LeYung)

Happy 48th anniversary to Kensington Publishing Corp in New York!

https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/pages/about/ says:

“2022 marks Kensington Publishing Corp’s 48th year in business, and it is one of the last remaining independent U.S. publisher of hardcover, trade and mass market paperback books. From the time our very first book (Appointment in Dallas by Hugh McDonald), became a bestseller, Kensington has been known as an astute and determined David-vs.-Goliath publisher of titles in the full spectrum of categories, from fiction and romance to health and nonfiction. In addition to the close to 500 new books, the company releases through its diverse imprints per year, it has a backlist of more than 5,000 titles. Kensington is considered a leader and innovator in such areas of publishing as African-American, cozy mysteries, westerns, and of course, romance.”

Author and Writing Coach Teresa Jade LeYung--photo by author Lynn Scott

Love Made of Heart:

– a 2002 nominee of the Asian American Literary Awards

– recommended by the California School Library Association and the California Reading Association

– used in Women in Psychology, First-Year Composition college course, Advanced Composition English-as-a-Second-Language classes

– read by students at Stanford University, U.C. Berkeley, San Francisco State University, City College of San Francisco, City College of Sacramento, Lowell High School, and many other wonderful institutions

– archived at the San Francisco History Center

– available at public libraries

This is just the first of a series of Thank You as I continue celebrating LOVE MADE OF HEART and the kindhearted souls (teachers, librarians, booksellers, media folks, readers and more readers) who have helped me speak up about:

NO to domestic violence and child abuse!

YES to kindness and compassion with mental illness!

YES to speaking from the heart!

I wish everyone wellness, kindness, happiness!

Sincerely,

Teresa_Jade_LeYung__photo_by_Nan_and_MEK_2019

Teresa Jade LeYung

Story Theme Consultant / Photo Historian / Author / Public Library and Public School Advocate

http://www.OurBeautifulBrains.com goes to Teresa’s Blog

Writing Coach Teresa Jade LeYung says: “I love helping writers identify the themes in their manuscripts to hook readers, and, build and fortify their platforms before and after publication. Reach out, not stress out.”

Love Made Of Heart ®

2022 June 26, 21:18; June 27, 01:00; June 28, 13:00, 23:16 California

Teresa Jade LeYung here saying “Thank you, Kim McMilllon,  Ph.D., for having children’s book author Maria Kawah Leung on your show “Writers On Writing”.  You both are Heroines / Heroes!”

To watch the 39-minute interview  https://youtu.be/p-YMEPfwp2Q

Maria Kawah Leung https://mariakawah.com/ is the author of the delightfully illustrated book

LITTLE HEROES OF BAY STREET:  And How They Stay Strong In An Unhappy Home

which is endorsed by Hannah Yeoh who is a Member of Parliament in Malaysia.

The main characters in LITTLE HEROES OF BAY STREET are Mia (a little girl) and her Happy Dog (who is much much more than a stuffed animal)

Happy Dog and Mia are the Little Heroes of Bay Street

children's_book_author_Maria_Kawah_Leung_and_Happy_Dog

Kim McMillon asks: “Maria, why did you write your book?”

At the first words, Maria Kawah Leung shows courage …

Maria: “Kim, I’m very much honored… because I am a behind-the-scenes kind of person, but, because of my book Little Heroes of Bay Street, it’s important for me to get the message out there… about domestic violence.”

Maria: “Happy Dog has been my best friend since I was 6 years old. He helped me survived watching my father abuse my mother. When I was little, and this was happening, I thought that my family was the only one in the entire world that this was happening to. So, it was very scary. And I felt very lonely. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I found out that other families had the same situation….”

Maria:  “I wanted to de-stigmatize this issue [domestic violence], so that people don’t think it’s something that happens ‘to those kinds of people’.  It happens everywhere, all cultures, all social economic statuses.  I want to raise awareness. Especially for the children. And the mothers. That’s why I wrote a children’s book.  Whereas my sister [ Teresa Jade LeYung] wrote an adult novel Love Made Of Heart.”

Kim: “The books you and your sister write help community, families, helping people understand just how prevalent and how dangerous domestic violence is.”

Maria: “I wish I had a book like this when I was little. That’s why I wrote it. For the children. For the teachers to be aware.  No teacher was ever aware that I was going through all this pain. I didn’t act out in school.  It’s not like I brought attention to myself.”

Maria: “I’m hoping that through my book… that every teacher would get a copy… and school counselors… nurses… so that they can be aware, and, look out for signs, and reach out to these children.”

Maria:  “It’s NOT an easy thing. It’s NOT an easy thing for a teacher to approach the parents. Because of feeling ashamed. I felt ashamed when I was abused. I thought people were going to say ‘She must be stupid or uneducated’ or ‘ she brought it onto herself’.  You have to be brave and confront the parents so that they can seek help.’

Kim asks Maria about Happy Dog …

Maria:  I was 6 years old, my brother Vitus was 10.  My brother had asked our parents to get Happy Dog for me…. At the store, my brother saw him [Happy Dog] on the top shelf. One of a kind. No tags.  Nothing. I think he’s an alien from somewhere. There he was, already kind of tattered… people must have played with him. His arm already needed sewing.”

(please watch/listen to the interview to find out who Happy Dog is a successor of)

To watch the 39-minute interview  https://youtu.be/p-YMEPfwp2Q

Maria: “A few years ago, artist Chandra Garsson,  a dear friend of my sister Teresa’s, gave him [Happy Dog] … would you say botox? New lips altogether. Thanks to Chandra, he looks brand new.” 

Maria: “Maybe I didn’t publish the book until now… because I wrote it ten years ago… because I felt ashamed that I grew up in a family with violence and that I also experienced it myself [when I was an adult] … that people might think I’m childish because I still cherish my childhood toy. Now I’m old enough to realize I don’t care what other people think. It’s a healthy thing for children to have somebody or some thing to make them feel safe… to go to their happy place.”

Maria Kawah Leung's children's_book_LITTLE_HEROES_OF_BAY_STREET_Mia_and_Happy_Dog

Kim: “I remember your mother. She was extraordinary beautiful. [ Rita ]  I had great admiration for her.”

Maria:  (holds up photo of herself and Happy Dog with her mother) “My mother was dying of metastasized breast cancer in 1999… Yes, she’s beautiful. Powerful. And she’s a powerful guardian angel now.”

Maria: “I’m not trying to tell happy children in happy homes that they should know about all these horrible things that happen in the world. But if it’s a friend in the classroom… you want to help that friend.”

Maria: (showing audience pages from her book; pages 22 and 23 where Ms. Chavez tells Mia that it is not Mia’s job to make her parents happy. )

Maria talks about the illustration on page 22 – about the pictures of the two people on the classroom wall.  “… my real life fourth grade teacher, I loved her, but she didn’t see any signs that I needed help. But she was a wonderful teacher. And that’s my friend Mayhar A. Amouzegar, provost at University of New Orleans. He has published several novels. And he writes nonfiction for his work.  All these inspirational people in my life.”

Kim: “I found your book so inspirational. I love it. It’s so important. I felt it was healing for you, pouring out that experience, that it could help another person. I thought that was beautiful.”

Maria: “If I can reach as many children as possible and help them heal … when children witness violence at a young age….”

Kim: “When I saw your book was out, I was so proud of you, Maria. I just adore you and I’m so happy that you’re doing so great for the world.  I do believe helping people to overcome issues is one of the greatest things, in service to others, so, thank you for so much service to others.”

Maria: “During lockdown of this pandemic, domestic violence has skyrocketed….  Please reach out to people because it’s scary for everybody, this pandemic. There’s fear, there’s hatred, it’s a scary time. Help the families out there now.”

https://mariakawah.com/ has resources for families in USA and Malaysia

To watch the 39-minute interview  https://youtu.be/p-YMEPfwp2Q

Please help LITTLE HEROES OF BAY STREET get into all branches of public libraries  https://www.worldcat.org/

Where to purchase Maria’s  book:   LITTLE HEROES OF BAY STREET:  And How They Stay Strong In An Unhappy Home

The book is available in 3 formats -  Hard cover; paperback; ebook – written in 2 languages – English and Chinese (simplified characters).

Soon the book will also be available in Spanish and Bahasa Malaysia.

Amazon  Paperback edition https://www.amazon.com/Little-Heroes-Bay-Street-Simplified/dp/1543759815/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1610550303&sr=8-1

Amazon E-Book edition https://www.amazon.com/Little-Heroes-Bay-Street-Simplified-ebook/dp/B08L6224B1/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1652110887&sr=1-1

BookDepository Paperback https://www.bookdepository.com/Little-Heroes-Bay-Street-Maria-Kawah-Leung/9781543759815?ref=grid-view&qid=1656449469019&sr=1-2

BookDepository  Hardcover  https://www.bookdepository.com/Little-Heroes-Bay-Street-Maria-Kawah-Leung/9781543759839#

Barnes & Noble  Paperback  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/little-heroes-of-bay-street-maria-kawah-leung/1137780986?ean=9781543759815

Barnes & Noble  NOOK e-book  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/little-heroes-of-bay-street-maria-kawah-leung/1137780986?ean=9781543759822

children's book author Maria_Kawah_Leung_inscribes_Litttle_Heroes_of_Bay_Street_to_her_sister_Teresa

 To watch the 39-minute interview  https://youtu.be/p-YMEPfwp2Q

https://mariakawah.com/

Educator, children’s book author, children’s advocate Maria Kawah Leung says:

“Creating my book LITTLE HEROES OF BAY STREET to help children feel that they are not alone has been a life-long goal. Empowering children to overcome obstacles is my passion.”

Dr. Kim McMillon, thank you again for having Maria Kawah Leung and Happy Dog on your show.

Maria, Happy Dog and Mia, thank you for being so brave. YOU are all beautiful and mighty Heroes!

Everyone, thank you for reading my blog post:

“Educator, children’s book author, children’s advocate Maria Kawah Leung says “Domestic Violence Awareness is about Helping the Families”

I wish you peace and wellness always!

Teresa_Jade_LeYung_photo_by_Nan_and_MEK

Teresa Jade LeYung

Proud sister of Maria Kawah Leung and proud auntie of Happy Dog

Story Theme Consultant / Photo Historian / Author / Public Library and Public School Advocate

http://www.OurBeautifulBrains.com goes to Teresa Jade LeYung’s Blog

Writing Coach Teresa Jade LeYung says: “I love helping writers identify the themes in their manuscripts to hook readers, and, build and fortify their platforms before and after publication. Reach out, not stress out.”

Love Made Of Heart ®

“MIT new study – Time spent indoors increases risk of COVID at 6 feet or 60 feet…”
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/23/mit-researchers-say-youre-no-safer-from-covid-indoors-at-6-feet-or-60-feet-in-new-study.html

Teresa Jade LeYung’s Blog post number 612

2022 March 10, 20:01 California USA

Amended 2022 March 12, 19:14; amended 2022 March 19, 13:09

A thousand bows to Dr. Amy Grace Lam for the two statements that contain words to awaken a new healing path in me:

“My body gets attention when it is sick.” “My body gets ignored when it is well.”

That behavioral pattern (giving/receiving care; NOT giving/receiving care) was the norm in our family – my father would turn off his rage and my mother would turn off her anguish when one of us kids got sick – getting sick meant receiving quiet and caring attention.

Ever since the outbreak of Shingles* virus on my body in 2020 … my Brain has been “overprotecting” body tissue by sending pain (in the initial months) and then other unpleasant sensations (since 2021) as a way of getting my attention, thus, reinforcing the pattern “my body gets attention when it is sick”.

I have created a new pattern to practice: “My body gets my attention in health and in sickness”

(Interesting … my Body deserves the vows spoken on one’s wedding day:  ” … from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part ….”)

[ * Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus that causes chickenpox. After a person has had chickenpox, the virus lies inactive in nerve tissue near the spinal cord and brain. Years later, the virus may reactivate as shingles. https://www.mayoclinic.org ]

The word “pray” used to turn on my skepticism. So did other words.

Then I learned how to listen. And to ask questions. And to listen some more….

Now I use some of those words myself – to wish for wellness.

My reaction to words had prolonged illness, again and again. I would get on a healing path, then would fall off the road. It’s only these recent years that I’ve learned to listen to my own Body and the symptoms, and, speak words that inspire radiant health.

The tools came from my dear housemate, friends, sister, certain relatives, mentors, writers, artists, musicians, and, from these extraordinary healers – Dr. Amy Grace Lam (vibrational energy coach); Marie-Christine Cornet (now in France – Chi Nei Tsang and Somatic Experience practitioner); Gilles Marin (master practitioner and teacher, author, director of the Chi Nei Tsang Institute, California) – I am honored to be Gilles’s manuscript consultant for his fourth book; Stephanie Doucette, M.S., L.Ac., Dipl. OM (California Licensed Acupuncturist and Clinical Herbalist); and all the other healers referenced in my blog posts.

Here are some words spoken by healers Dr. Amy Grace Lam, Gilles Marin, Stephanie Doucette that I’ve learned to decipher in my quest for wellness.  I first heard some of these words  from poet / playwright / Black Arts Movement Historian Kim McMillon, Ph.D. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kmcmillon more than 35 years ago:

* Five Elements – Earth, Air, Water, Fire, Wood

* Longevity, Vitality, Balance, Harmony

* Radiant Health

* Organs, Organ System – Liver, Kidney, Spleen

* What is Damp Heat, Slippery Pulse, Stagnation

* Chi (Qi), Meridians, Channels

* Yin, Yang, Deficiency, Wind

* Meditation,  Chakras, Inhale, Exhale, Breathing

A thousand bows to Dr. Amy Grace Lam for the two statements that contain words to awaken a new healing path in me:

“My body gets attention when it is sick.”

“My body gets ignored when it is well.”

There is much suffering on our planet – COVID pandemic; everyone in and near the Ukraine.

The vibrant wellness I want for myself is what I wish and what I pray for everyone, near and far.

For Everyone – Total Healing, Radiant Health, Balance and Harmony, Joy and Loving Kindness

Thanks to Dr. Amy Grace Lam … here’s Steve Nobel’s

MEDITATION Golden-Citrine Angelic Light Transmission: Clearing and Uplifting the Solar Plexus Chakra

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i4K0mfgnhV0

AND

AFFIRMATIONS: Radiant Health https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=weiNscvmKCA

And, thank you to all benevolent Angels!

For other posts related to our Beautiful Brains, Pain, and Neuroplasticity  in my blog  https://lovemadeofheart.com/blog …  If you scroll to top of page, look at right side of screen, you’ll see the category “Beautiful Brains Neuroplasticity”.  Please click on that category to get all my blog posts pertaining to the topic.

Sincerely,

Teresa Jade LeYung

Story Theme Consultant / Photo Historian / Author / Public Library and Public School Advocate

http://www.OurBeautifulBrains.com goes to Teresa Jade LeYung’s Blog

Writing Coach Teresa Jade LeYung says: “I love helping writers identify the themes in their manuscripts to hook readers, and, build and fortify their platforms before and after publication. Reach out, not stress out.”

Love Made Of Heart ®

“MIT new study – Time spent indoors increases risk of COVID at 6 feet or 60 feet…”
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/23/mit-researchers-say-youre-no-safer-from-covid-indoors-at-6-feet-or-60-feet-in-new-study.html

January 3, 2021 California USA 20:00-22:00

Thank you, Marie-Christine Cornet, for sending this lovely image from France!

Meilleurs voeux 2021!

 Story/Theme Consultant Teresa Jade LeYung says: “Adaptable Brain, Let Quiet Enter.”

IS part 2 of my trilogy to honor our Beautiful Brains.

Finding URLs (of videos posted on Youtube) for mentors has given me an opportunity to learn (again) what I can do to help myself transform persistent pain signals (when there isn’t new damage to body tissue) and depression signals… into a refreshed Brain so that I can do what I love doing during my waking hours.  I am most grateful to the precious people in my life who care about my well-being.

 May these sites help you, dear Reader, and your loved ones too . . .

 Norman Doidge, M.D.

https://www.normandoidge.com/

“Dr. Norman Doidge | The Power of Thought” on YouTube  https://youtu.be/2c5aTlq3nYI

Dr. Doidge’s first book – The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science (translated into 26 languages)

Dr. Doidge’s second book – The Brain’s Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity (translated into 19 languages so far)

Professor Lorimer Moseley

Dr. Danielle Rosenman

Teresa Jade LeYung’s Haiku poem 2020 December 28 Monday 03:55

Sweet raindrop music

May we all be safe and warm

Today and always

(Although the 5-7-5 structure was added on December 28, 2020 to honor the Haiku form,  the composition has been my fervent prayer for decades, long before the word “pandemic” was in my daily vocabulary.  Because Haiku poems aren’t titled, please accept the publishing date as identifier for this piece.)

Teresa Jade LeYung’s Haiku poem  2021 January 3 Sunday 20:40

Quiet please enter

Let Brain imagine Paris

Depression Pain leave

To read Part 1 of my trilogy on our Beautiful Brains:

Story/Theme Consultant Teresa Jade LeYung says: “Scarecrow in THE WIZARD OF OZ would feel NO pain” http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/story-theme-consultant-teresa-jade-leyung-says-scarecrow-in-the-wizard-of-oz-would-feel-no-pain/

For other posts in my blog, please go to: https://lovemadeofheart.com/blog   If you look at right side of screen, you’ll see the category “Beautiful Brains Neuroplasticity”. Please click on that category to get all my blog posts pertaining to our our Beautiful Brains and Neuroplasticity.

Sincerely,

author Teresa Jade LeYung, mask by Emily O

Love Made Of Heart ®

Teresa Jade LeYung, an American naturalized citizen of Chinese ancestry, is a story/theme consultant, author of LOVE MADE OF HEART (daughter-mother novel archived at the San Francisco History Center and used by college professors), BUILD YOUR WRITER’S PLATFORM & FANBASE IN 22 DAYS (a workbook), and TALKING TO MY DEAD MOM Monologues (the first monologue received an award from Redwood Writers Ten-Minute Play Festival), an advocate for public libraries and public schools, creator of http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/ , and, admirer of City of Light. Composing Haiku poems is a new love for LeYung.

In California . . . Remember the book festival staged at the Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco? And, there was the Oakland Literature Expo produced by Kim McMillon and the Sonoma County Book Festival!

This weekend  June 3 and 4, 2017 in Berkeley, California is the Bay Area Book Festival!

Cherilyn Parsons is Founder and Executive Director!

https://www.baybookfest.org

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Look for these authors:

Margie Yee Webb, Barbara Santos, Michael Larsen et al at the San Francisco Writers Conference booth.

Rita Lakin (Sunday 11:30am – 1:00pm) and her colleagues at the Sisters In Crime booth.

Nanci Lee Woody, Elise Frances Miller, Laurel Anne Hill, Audrey Kalman,  James Hanna, Tory Hartmann et al from Sand Hill Review Press https://www.sandhillreviewpress.com  And, congratulations to Margaret Davis and Bardi Rosman Koodrin whose novels will be released soon!

Cheers to all authors, publishers, editors, book sellers, readers, artists, City of Berkeley, San Francisco Chronicle, Cherilyn Parsons and her super team, all participants, sponsors, well wishers!

Cheers to AAUW, AAWAA, CLA, CWC, Gold Country Writers, SFWC,  SF Writing For Change, WNBA

Yours truly Teresa LeYung-Ryan has fond memories of the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books (adventures with Elisa Sasa Southard) and the Arizona Book Festival (thank you to friends and book sellers in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe)!

Programs for writers! June 10-17, 2017

presented by California Writers Club members http://cwc-peninsula.org/

and the San Mateo County Fair Literary Stage https://sanmateocountyfair.com/literary-arts

San Mateo County Fair website:  https://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/98-entertainment-stages/171-fine-arts-galleria

Map of Fair Grounds:   https://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/visit/fair-info/grounds-map

http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/programs-for-writers-june-10-17-2017-june-11-mini-conference-literary-stage-at-san-mateo-county-fair-california-writers-club/

“Book Festivals, Fairs – Labor of Love, Writing, Reading,” says Writing Coach / Theme Consultant Teresa LeYung-Ryan

I am Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan who teaches my clients (writers, artists) how to reach out, not stress out, before and after publication — identify themes in their intellectual properties and create scripts for pitches, query letters, press releases, talking-points, one-minute videos, photo slideshows, and the all-mighty blog. Please visit http://WritingCoachTeresa.com  and http://LoveMadeOfHeart.com/blog for resources.

The workbook:
Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW – print edition available at Laurel Book Store http://www.laurelbookstore.com in Oakland, CA and on Amazon – print edition and Kindle edition!

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan who says “Reach out, not stress out!” will present “Use Your Name and Your Themes to Advance Your Writer’s Platform-Building Journey” on Monday July 10, 2017, 7pm-9pm  at  Sacramento Suburban Writers Club http://www.sactowriters.org/   5501 Dewey Drive, Fair Oaks, CA (in the Fellowship hall, (straight back from the road, through the gate in the white fence).  Sacramento Suburban Writers welcome visitors.

What is platform-building and fanbase-building and how you can make yours prosperous. I, Theme Consultant and Writing Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan, thank Catharine Bramkamp for interviewing me as  Women’s National Book Association-San Francisco Chapter  Featured Member this month. Thank you, Simona Carini, for publishing and for your kindness. Thank you to all Women’s National Book Association colleagues!

Teresa LeYung-Ryan has been helping authors with their platforms for years: Her own platform – reach out, not stress out – speaks to her focus on authors and how to make their promotion, their sales and even their conversations more productive and natural.

Writers’ Platform and Fanbase-Building Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan says:

“When I was an aspiring writer, playwright Kim McMillon would invite me to literary parties. ‘Make connections,’ Kim said to me. ‘Have fun.’ I was too stressed out to have fun. I’d introduce myself by my first name only, and, I didn’t know how to articulate what I was writing about. Then, I would go home, dreading the next networking event. Kim did not give up on me. She even put me in the line-up at her open mic events. True friends are your biggest fans.

“Through watching Kim’s plays, I discovered what makes a performance/story memorable. Those recurring themes! What is theme? The subject matter/topic/issue discussed repeatedly in a piece of writing. Theme answers the question ‘What’s your point?’ Whether you are writing fiction (as in novels), narrative nonfiction (as in memoirs) or prescriptive nonfiction (as in workbooks/how-to books), theme is the thread with which you weave your chapters. For example:

• In E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web (fiction/classic children’s book), the core themes are: true friendship; cycles of life; believing in one’s self.
• In Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior (narrative nonfiction), the core themes are: Chinese myths; being a Chinese-American youth in California; losing and gaining one’s own voice.
• In Angie Choi’s My Dreams: A Simple Guide to Dream Interpretation (prescriptive nonfiction), the core themes are: understanding personal dream symbols; solving problems; transformation

“So, the platform statements I would create for these brilliant authors would be:

• Through his children’s books, E.B. White teaches young readers how to be a real friend.
• Through her memoirs and novels, Maxine Hong Kingston inspires us to reclaim our voices.
• Through her book My Dreams, Angie Choi shows us how to interpret personal dream symbols and transform our waking worlds.

“Side note: The Woman Warrior was the book that inspired me to write my first book Love Made of Heart. Thank you, Maxine Hong Kingston!

“To writers, I say: ‘Make your name stand for something—to attract target consumers—who are likely to buy what you have to sell.’

• The something = themes you write about
• Target consumers = readers who read about the themes you write about
• What you have to sell = your intellectual properties

“Your platform statements will attract attention before and after publication, whether you’re going to self-publish or sell rights to a publisher.

“When I teach ‘For Theme’s Sake: Edit Your Own Manuscript Before Pitching to Agents OR Self-Publishing’ the first assignment I give is: Reread one of your favorite books (especially a classic children’s book). What is the author’s point? What are the topics /subject matters/issues running through the entire story? Then, tackle your own story! Knowing how to weave core themes makes rewriting enjoyable.

“Authors of fiction need to work doubly hard building their platforms. With more than 3 million titles in the Literature/Fiction category for readers to choose from, how will they find you if you aren’t already an award-winning author, bestselling author or celebrity? My first book Love Made of Heart is a novel. I was a newbie. My agent believed in me. However, I had to demonstrate to Kensington Publishing in New York my platform statements:

• Teresa LeYung-Ryan encourages adult children of mentally ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas.
• Teresa LeYung-Ryan helps survivors of family violence find their own voices.

“It is challenging to enter the fiercely competitive bookselling arena. The other players include authors with proven track records / established platforms / big fanbases / celebrity status and authors who are also seasoned publishers or promoters. That said, ‘Don’t worry, be happy’. Yes, you can transform challenges into opportunities that feel right for you. And turn off the noise in the brain. I recommend Elisa Sasa Southard’s book Break Through the Noise: 9 Tools to Propel Your Marketing Message. Elisa has taught me well.

“The Internet helps your fans find you. They find you when you broadcast your platform statement on cyberspace. After all, where do we go when we need to find something or someone? My workbook Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW shows you how to create and broadcast your platform statement / how to reach out, not stress out. Some best practices from this workbook:

• Who are you? Not a year ago. Who are you today? If you want others to notice you, you need to notice yourself.
• What are tags? Tags are keywords and phrases. Understand the function of tags on cyberspace (especially in your blog/website) and you will rejoice over your name and platform statements.
• Celebrities reach out. Organizations reach out. You reach out.

“Here are a few excellent platform statements because each one fulfills the definition from my workbook – Make your name stand for something—to attract target consumers—who are likely to buy what you have to sell.

• Writing Coach & Chief Storytelling Officer Catharine Bramkamp helps small business owners tell their stories on social media platforms to attract more clients/customers.
• *
• Through her books, Margie Yee Webb promotes pet awareness and encourages people to make a difference in the lives of cats and other companion animals.
• *
• Linda Lee of Askmepc-Webdesign says: Whether you are a novice or veteran Internet user, I can help you optimize and monetize your website.
• *
• Mary E. Knippel (Your Writing Mentor and founder of The Unleashed Homemaker) is fiercely committed to guiding women—who have been silent too long—to polish their words so that they sparkle and shine.
• *
• Travel writer and professional Tour Director Elisa Sasa Southard turns student travelers into explorers.
• *
• Author and art teacher Connie Smith Siegel says: ‘You do not have to be an artist to reclaim your unique creative language. Drawing and the use of color is for everyone.’
• *
• Author Jo Chandler uses her novel This Side of Forever to shed light on a teenager’s alcohol addiction and what she discovers on her surprising journey.
  

“Enjoy the benefits of being a WNBA member. I have had the privilege of working on the board and committees, co-presenting, and connecting with members of the San Francisco Chapter (by the way, many members are also colleagues through California Writers Club and San Francisco Writers Conference). I have served WNBA by doing what was enjoyable for me – using my organization skills, knack for taking pictures, and platform/fanbase-building expertise. Get to know other WNBA members by attending mixers and other WNBA events, and subscribing to the weekly blog posts.”

WNBA-SF Member Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan teaches her clients (writers, artists) how to reach out, not stress out, before and after publication — identify themes in their intellectual properties and create scripts for pitches, query letters, press releases, talking-points, one-minute videos, photo slideshows, and the all-mighty blog. Visit http://WritingCoachTeresa.com and http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/ for more resources. Teresa’s upcoming speaking events are listed on this page.

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Sunday, June 11, 2017, 1:00pm-7:00pm

Annual Writers Mini Conference at San Mateo County Fair Literary Stage, San Mateo, CA https://sanmateocountyfair.com/pdf/2017/literary_17.pdf

1:00-2:00pm  “Use Core Themes to Rewrite Your Story and Query Letters” with Theme Consultant and Writers’ Platform-Building Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

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 Monday, July 10, 2017, 7:00pm—9:00pm

for Sacramento Suburban Writers Club  http://www.sactowriters.org/

at Crossroads Fellowship Christian Church, 5501 Dewey Drive, Fair Oaks, CA

For other posts in my blog, please go to: https://lovemadeofheart.com/blog

If you’re looking for my blog posts pertaining to our Beautiful Brains and Neuroplasticity… https://lovemadeofheart.com/blog  look at right side of screen, you’ll see the category “Beautiful Brains Neuroplasticity”.  Please click on that category to get those posts.

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Saturday, April 5, 2014, 2:00-400pm Environmental Poetry for the Soul -   Oakland, CA

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Cheers to Joan Gelfand, all poets, National Poetry Month, our Environment, and our souls!

Sincerely,

22-Day Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

http://writingcoachTeresa.com 

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan is the author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW.  She helps clients identify their themes and archetypes.   “Reach out, not stress out.”

Teresa’s novel Love Made of Heart: a Mother’s Mental Illness Forges Forgiveness in Daughter Ruby is used in college courses and archived at the San Francisco History Center.

Subscribe to  “Coach Teresa’s blog”  Click here to start.

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Writing Coach Teresa says: “2 events to celebrate the environment, our souls and National Poetry Month!”

Saturday, April 5, 2014, 2:00-400pm Environmental Poetry for the Soul -   Oakland, CA

April 9, 2014, 7:00pm Less Stress and More Success – Climbing the Sacred Ladder!    San Rafael, CA

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  http://www.penoakland.com/

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Less Stress and More Success

learn how by Climbing the Sacred Ladder!

April 9, 2014 , 7:00 PM

OPEN SECRET Book Store

923 C Street  (between 3rd & 4th)

San Rafael, CA 94901

Shulamit Sofia MSW, social entrepreneur, college professor, artist and writer is dedicated to support you to have more Love, Joy, Peace and Purpose in your life. After  establishing a program to help over 250,000 children in orphanages and war zones find more safety and security, she founded Soul Strength Seminars to teach the same principles to people wanting to reach their soul goals.

http://www.soulstrengthseminars.com/ or call (415) 448-6041

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Cheers to Everyone, National Poetry Month, our Environment, and our souls!

Sincerely,

22-Day Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

http://writingcoachTeresa.com 

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan is the author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW.  She helps clients identify their themes and archetypes.   “Reach out, not stress out.”

Teresa’s novel Love Made of Heart: a Mother’s Mental Illness Forges Forgiveness in Daughter Ruby is used in college courses and archived at the San Francisco History Center.

Subscribe to  “Coach Teresa’s blog”  Click here to start.

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Any project or event that Kim McMillon is involved in is empowering!

I cheer for Kim McMillon and Everyone associated with 50 Years on the Black Arts Movement and Its Influences and the University of California, Merced!

Get tickets:  https://intelforms.ucmerced.edu/Form/Black_Arts_Movement

The conference is free for UC Merced students and Merced County youths, and $40 for the general public. To register or for more information about the conference, email Kim McMillon at kmcmillon@ucmerced.edu or go online.

Press inquiries should be directed to Scott Hernandez-Jason, shernandez-jason@ucmerced.edu

https://www.facebook.com/events/206503536195057/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/African-Diaspora-Graduate-Student-Association/260735274051324

Gala Host Belva Davis! at  50 Years on the Black Arts Movement and Its Influences!

Conference to Explore Black Arts Movement, Influences

The International Conference on the Black Arts Movement and Legacies will be held on March 1-2, 2014 at the University of California, Merced.

An international two-day conference on the Black Arts Movement will draw world-renowned scholars, musicians and artists, and offer new scholarship and perspectives on the 1960s and 1970s movement.

The International Conference on the Black Arts Movement and Legacies, on March 1-2, 2014 at the University of California, Merced, will provide an opportunity to hear and appreciate the elders, activists and artists who proclaimed “Black is beautiful” in their art, music, poetry and writings, while also shedding light on recent assessments of the movement.

“UC Merced is excited to contribute to the growing body of scholarship on the Black Arts Movement,” said Professor Susan Amussen, who’s also the director of the Center for the Humanities. “We look forward both to the presence of so many outstanding artists on campus and to the exploration of the impact of this important movement on mainstream American culture.”

Scholarly panels, poetry, art, theatre presentations and workshops on a wide variety of topics from the state of black studies in America to the impact of the Black Arts Movement past and present will be discussed.

“The Black Arts Movement and this UC Merced Conference comprise one whopping piece long missing from the jigsaw puzzle of cultural America,” said Al Young, California’s Poet Laureate Emeritus.

Askia Toure, Ishmael Reed, Marvin X, Eugene Redmond, Umar Bin Hassan, Nathan Hare, Emory Douglas, Judy Juanita, Avotcja and other key writers, musicians and artists from the Black Arts and Black Power movements will discuss their work and perform at the conference.

“No discussion of the Black Arts Movement or the radical left can take place without mentioning the late Amiri Baraka,” said event organizer and UC Merced graduate student Kim McMillon. “His words and art represent the beginnings of the movement, birthing black identity. Black Americans in the 1960s and 1970s created a new vision of blackness, one that celebrated the uniqueness of black culture.”

“The work of the Black Arts movement served as inspiration for many later artists, especially those from marginalized communities, and thus has shaped the flowering of artistic work over the last 40 years,” McMillon said.

The conference is co-sponsored by Associated Students of UC Merced, African Diaspora Student Association, the Center for the Humanities, Merced County Arts Council, Merced County Office of Education, Office of Student Life and The California Endowment.

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Any project or event that Kim McMillon is involved in is empowering!

I cheer for Kim McMillon and Everyone associated with 50 Years on the Black Arts Movement and Its Influences and the University of California, Merced!